Thanks to Charlie's video I CAN now search for full postcodes. No idea if I could do that before this update or not, but I can now. It's a pain in the butt to find, so watch the video and see if you have the menu or not.

The other reason I ordered from the dealer is I still have AUC warranty and 1.5 years of service package left to run... 5/2009 build date on my car (pre-LCI) according to RealOEM.

Not sure what warranty has to do with map discs, but anyway, attached to the underside of your bonnet (near the catch) is a build sticker, this will confirm your factory build date if you are unsure.

If your car has not had a software update since new, then you will not get 7 digit postcodes working. The nav O/S up to late 2010 date cannot handle 7 digits even if they are on the nav map discs you load up.

The Nav o/s vehicle software (not nav map data) from approx mid 2010 will enable 7 digit postcodes (even if you have the 7 digit map data), or so previous info on here would suggest.

I can't find the post, but there was a specific ISTA-P version from which 7 digits were enabled, I checked mine when it had the HPFP done in late 10 and only just pipped the post with the right sw version even then.

What I found (and what I think the video shows) is that my car will ask for letters (eg LS) and then one or more numbers (LS17) and IF I enter 2 numbers, it will automatically add a space (EG LS17_) and then ask me to add another number (EG LS17_1) and at the same time, locations in LS17_1 appear to the right of the letter wheel. Then mine just defaults to 'OK' which enables me to click to the menu on the right and choose my rough location. I then polarise that using the street address usually.

NOW though, although the nav defaults to 'OK' as described above, I can just ignore it and scroll round to 'letters' again - allowing me to enter the last two letters (EG LS17_1TB.)

SO, that's why I wasn't sure if I could do that before or not - I jsut never tried until I watched Charlie's video.

Not sure what warranty has to do with map discs, but anyway, attached to the underside of your bonnet (near the catch) is a build sticker, this will confirm your factory build date if you are unsure.

If I do something that means my navigation stops working while I am updating the software, I can take it to the dealer and tell them it's broken. If I show them an invoice for the official part number and code from a BMW dealer, I am still standing on my two legs rather than on shaky ground because I got some code and a warez ISO copy from some other unauthorised source. Also if I don't get the 7 digit postcodes I can ask the dealer who told me I would get them for a refund on what I paid, because the goods are not as described.

I don't mind paying the extra for that peace of mind even if you think I'm wasting my money because I could have done the same thing for less.

As I said earlier my factory build date is 5/2009. That came from realoem.com and I have no reason to doubt it. I haven't actually opened the bonnet of my car yet. There's nothing for me to see there lol

I had a brand new CIC unit fitted November 2011 on mine under warranty so I hope that the 7 digit postcode search is working when I update it. The dealers refused to update mine to the latest maps and insisted that they were only allowed to put the same maps that were on the old unit and I would have to pay for the latest ones. Needless to say, I have never returned to that dealer for anything and probably never will.

To be fair I'd agree with the dealer. They need to repair the car to the pre-failure standard which they evidently did - there's no requirement on their part for "betterment" especially in view of the official upgrade cost.

Damn, seems you're right about the software update to get the full postcodes. The dealer I bought the maps from just confirmed this is the case and they told me what they said about the postcodes only applies if I have the right version of software.

So I've booked my car in to another dealer to get the software updated for the tidy sum of £100...

Damn, seems you're right about the software update to get the full postcodes. The dealer I bought the maps from just confirmed this is the case and they told me what they said about the postcodes only applies if I have the right version of software.

So I've booked my car in to another dealer to get the software updated for the tidy sum of £100...

Got my letter through today asking me if I wanted to continue with BMW assist for £120. Can't justify that because I only use it for sending addresses to the car. Maybe I'd be better off spending £100 on a S/W update to get 7 digit post codes - not to bothered about having the most up to date maps. I presume my version of the maps will have the post code data on it, but it's just that I can't access it? I have one of the first LCI e90s.